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Sam Raimi In Contention To Remake Acclaimed French Thriller A Prophet

Sam Raimi, founding father of The Evil Dead franchise and the director behind such work as Drag Me to Hell, has opened talks to take the reins of A Prophet, the long-gestating remake of Jacques Audiard’s acclaimed French thriller.

Word comes by way of Deadline, reporting that the nascent project has set up shop at Sony with producer Neal H. Moritz (Furious 7, Jack the Giant Slayer) also attached. Indeed, it’s the first sign of activity from the studio’s remake in some time, considering that Moritz first tabled the concept of a remake back in 2013. Dennis Lehane, meanwhile, remains on board to pen the script.

First released in 2009, A Prophet earned critical acclaim when it made its bow, nabbing a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee the following year. Orbiting around an Algerian youth named Malik El Djebena, the hard-hitting drama charts his meteoric rise to the top of a crime syndicate after agreeing to carry out the dirty work for a malevolent kingpin while serving a six-year sentence for assault.

Audiard’s original work is a deeply complex gangster tale, and Sony drew the ire of fans when it officially issued the green light for a western remake in 2013. Even still, with a talent such as Lehane (Shutter Island, Mystic River) on board coupled with the possibility of Sam Raimi behind the lens, we’re willing to give the studio’s retelling the benefit of the doubt.

Raimi, meanwhile, is attached to produce Sony’s long-gestating adaptation of The Last of Us. Since Game of Thrones starlet Maisie Williams was eyed for the key role of Ellie, all has gone quiet on the studio’s rendition of the Naughty Dog gem. News of Raimi coming aboard Sony’s A Prophet ended the project’s own radio silence, and we imagine it won’t be long now before the studio ushers the remake in front of the cameras.